Winter squash is one of those perfect vegetables that's easy to grow, nutritious, and versatile, and when it's roasted into caramelized goodness like this Easy Roasted Winter Squash with Sausage with Herbs, I think it's one of the best-tasting foods in the world.

I never liked squash as a kid, but by my late twenties my Grandma Denny taught me to like butternut squash that she'd roast in a hot oven, then mash with lots of butter, salt, and pepper. That's a recipe you can't go wrong with, but the last few years I've been roasting squash with olive oil, and every version I've tried has been a winner, including this dish of squash roasted with Italian sausage and herbs.

My neighbor Brooke gave me this Jarrahdale squash that she'd grown in her garden. I was excited to try out a new variety of squash, and definitely I'm planning to grow this myself next year. (Thanks Brooke!)

I wanted to use cubes of squash for this recipe, and I started by using a sharp spoon to scoop out the seeds. This piece of squash with the skin weighed just over 2 pounds.

When I'm going to peel and cut up a butternut squash, I use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the skin, but that wasn't going to work with this squash due to the ridges. When the seeds were gone, I cut the squash into slices around two inches thick.

Then I used a very sharp knife to carefully peel away the skin on each slice of squash.

When all the squash was peeled, I cut it into pieces, trying to keep them close to the same size. I tossed the pieces with olive oil, salt and pepper, and herbs and started roasting the squash. (I've made this twice and used sage one time and rosemary the next for the fresh herbs, and I think there are a few other types that would also work.)

I was using uncooked turkey Italian sausage, so while the squash started to roast, I poked holes in the sausage with a fork and pre-cooked it until the microwave until it was firm enough to cut into even slices.

After the sausage cools for a few minutes, cut into slices about 3/4 inches wide. The sausage will not look browned at all at this point.

After the squash has roasted for 20 minutes, stir it and spread out evenly in the dish, then lay sausage pieces in a single layer on top of the squash. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until one side of the sausage pieces has browned.

Then use a fork to carefully turn the sausage so the other side is facing up and roast for 10-20 minutes more, until all the sausage pieces are nicely browned and squash is slightly caramelized on the bottom. Devour.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. winter squash cubes (use any type of winter squash, choosing a piece that's just over 2 lbs.)
4-5 sweet turkey Italian sausage (I would not use pork sausage for this.)
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or more)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1-2 T chopped fresh herbs of your choice (I've tried sage and rosemary, could also use thyme, marjoram, or oregano. You could also use a bit more dried thyme if you don't have fresh herbs.)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F/200C and spray a flat glass or crockery baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray. (I used a dish that was 9" X 12" because I was baking it in my toaster oven, but you could use one that was slightly larger.)

Cut squash in half if needed, and use a sharp spoon to scrape seeds and stringy insides from the squash. If it's a smooth skinned squash like butternut, you can peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler. For rough skinned squash or squash with ridges, cut into slices about 2 inches wide, then use a sharp knife to cut the skin away from each slice. Cut squash into uniformly-sized pieces.

Put squash in a bowl, then toss with olive oil, dried thyme, salt and fresh ground black pepper and chopped fresh herbs, if using. (I would use about 1 tsp. dried thyme if I wasn't using fresh herbs.) Arrange squash cubes in an even layer in the baking dish and start to roast.

While you're cutting up squash, put turkey Italian sausage on a plate, poke holes on each side of the sausages, and microwave on high for about 4-5 minutes (or until sausage is firm enough to cut into even slices.) Remove sausage from microwave and let cool. When it's cool enough to handle, cut the sausage into slices about 3/4 inch wide.

After squash has cooked for 20 minutes, stir squash, spread back out into the dish in an even layer, then arrange sausage slices on top of squash and roast 20 minutes more, or until sausage pieces are starting to brown. Then use a fork to carefully turn each piece of sausage so the other side is facing up and roast 10-20 minutes more, until sausage is browned and squash is slightly browned on top and caramelized on the bottom. Serve hot.

(In many dishes pork or turkey Italian sausage can be used interchangeably, but in this case I think the fat that would drip down from the pork sausage would make the squash much too greasy. Look for turkey Italian sausage near the ground turkey in your supermarket.)

I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

More Wonderful Roasted Winter Squash to Try:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)

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This is a squash variety that's new to me, and what a great idea to combine it with the sausage. I'll probably try butternut or acorn squash, or maybe a small blue Hubbard, and thyme, which is my all-time favorite herb.

Winter squash is one of my absolute favorite foods. The salty/savoriness of the sausage with the sweetness of the squash sounds like a great idea. Tyler Florence has a recipe for sausage-stuffed squash on the food network website that you might be interested in looking at!

OK, I'm not a fan of squash but when you pair it with sausage, I'm going to have to give this a try. It looks amazing. don't think I've heard of that squash before but I'll be looking for it at the local farmers market this weekend. Depending on which sausage is chosen, this is a perfect gluten free meal. Thank you!

Hollow Peas, thanks. I agree, no sweet squash please. That photo is with my new camera (Canon 40D) which I'm loving.

Tobias, I liked it a lot.

Joanne, me too. I bet I would love sausage stuffed squash. I usually like his recipes!

Derek, it's just a guess, but I think there would be too much from the pork sausage and it would make the squash too greasy. I do love pork Italian sausage to eat plain, but I find them to be to fatty when they're added to things like soup, so that's why I don't recommend them here.

Italian Dish, thanks, so happy you like it because I always love the looks of your food.

Roberta, that sounds good. I'd use whole wheat bread, not a fan of the cornbread stuffing, but a great sounding combo.

Anonymous, sorry about the picky eaters.

Julie, hope you like it!

Diane, that's why I didn't label it "gluten-free" but I think there are gluten-free sausage options you can find.

Pam, agreed, too bad it leads to winter. Of course there's soup, which is one of the few things I like about winter!

I never liked squash as a kid either, but have really come to appreciate its rich, sweet flavor. This is a lovely recipe and I'd imagine that the spices in the Italian sausage pair beautifully with the sweetness of the roasted squash.

Now that the weather's turning colder, roasted sturdy vegetables of all kinds are happening around here pretty frequently. I used to stay away from squash because most people seem to serve it sweet. But roasted, caramelized squash. Perfect. Even without the meat.

i made corn pancakes and brocoli too b/c I assumed the short folks in our gang would be unimpressed...turns out my 4 yr old pronounced it great and asked for 2nds (Kalyn, you should feel HONORED as a rule he doesn't like...well, anything new)...our unexpected company LOVED it too...thanks again for another recipe to add to my healthy tasty recipe collection...apreciate it

Made this last night with a combination of butternut and acorn squash. It was a nice contrast between the two types (and very colorful!). It was SOOOO good!! My husband really loved it and said I could make it again anytime. Served it with a simple green salad. Thanks for the recipe.

Kalyn, I make a roasted butternut and andouille sausage soup that is pretty much this recipe with stock and cream. I bake the squash, puree with the stock and cream, add slices of andouille (though any smoky sausage will work - maybe kielbasa) and heat.

Peeling an acorn squash is tricky but so worth it. My husband was dreading eating a squash casserole but after trying it said to add it to the list of things to make again. That is awesome!!! This dish was a hit with my whole family. I like the turkey sausage much better than the pork kind. Added some roasted broccoli and it was a great meal.

I (finally!) made this tonight for dinner, although I cut the portions in half. I ate it fresh out of the oven on a bed of spinach - the heat from the still piping hot butternut squash and sausage was just enough to barely wilt the spinach. Delicious!

I just tried this recipe, I used Acorn squash and only had parsley. Fabulous! First time I've cooked acorn squash or turkey sausage. My husband and I both loved this simple and tasty recipe. Thank you so much!

Made this for dinner using acorn squash and precooked apple chicken sausage. My husband loved it, and he's not usually a squash guy. Added some garlic powder and onion powder. We devoured this. Even the drippings/caramelization on the dish were amazing sopped up with dinner rolls!

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